must, therefore, be a fine instrument. Is it not loud? We concede the point. Is it not soft, when required? There is no denying it. Has it not all the keys and pipes it professes to have? We bow assent. What, then, is the matter with it? Considering the nature of the questioner, we find this somewhat difficult to explain; and caring not, at the moment, to dispel a pleasing illusion, we thank the churchwarden for his politeness and make good our retreat. Though, of course, not universal, this kind of thing happens nine times out of ten to those who, loving a good organ, seek it in places where it is popularly said to be found. Now, we may ascribe all our disapointments of the sort, either to a general want of taste in those who buy organs, or a considerable proportion of incompetence among those who make them. Perhaps, as in most two-sided questions, an equal mixture of both suppositions will give a just result. Errors of taste are easily understood. There is no musical instrument so difficult to judge critically, and, therefore, none about which so much general error prevails, as the organ. In one case, a good crashing full-organ, with pedal pipes that sympathetically shake all the pews and imperil the digestive functions of the congregation, is held to fulfil all the conditions of a fine instrument. In another, two or three pretty flutes and a reed that just safely escapes either a screech or a grunt, are found sufficient to decide a maker's celebrity. Too seldom is the attempt made to test an instrument on its general merits, to insist that all its qualities shall be equally good in their kind, and all its combinations equally effective. wholly different way. No stranger, wandering about a grand church, and seeing the exterior of a magnificent instrument at its west-end-(by the way, he must not try a very high church, or he will see no organ at all, and probably hear worse than none) -can imagine the wilderness of work there is shut up within it.. Every impulse originated by the player has to be transmitted, by delicate machinery, hither and thither, and to distances and in, directions, that would quite bewilder a stranger to such things. And it is not enough that this machinery does its work with mere safety, and after some rough and disagreeable fashion either to the player or itself. It must be planned to be as little exposed, as possible to the liability of friction, or derangement, it must occupy as little space as is consistent with a safe system of construction, every part of the multitudinous assemblage must be placed to give the largest possible facilities to the eye and hand for purposes of reparation, and, lastly, elegance and symmetry, of arrangement are, by no means, to be overlooked. If not altogether the task of an engineer, it makes the nearest imaginable approach to it. Still, however, all this work, this manufacture of a large organ, complicated as it is, is tolerably accessible at, present. A sound mechanical head-the proper use of proper brains, and an unsparing employment of the drawing-office, will generally accomplish it for all practical purposes, if not with the refinement and perfection of which the thing is capable. But suppose the large organ thus completed, and a rival even, in constructive excellence, to that of the Madeleine, or any other chefd'œuvre. It is still voiceless, speechless,-it has yet to be made a musical instrument. Here are the pipes, then, ready from the case may be. Take them up and examine them. They are all perfectly well made-no fault can be found with them. Yet for all musical purposes they are at present altogether worthless. "They have neither speech nor language,"—they cannot breathe an articulate certainly not an agreeable sound. And here steps in the hand of the voicer-the last and most important artificer in the work. As the organ is king of instruments, so is the voicer king of the organ. To his functions there is no exact analogy in any other case of musical instrument making. The nearest parallel is the pianoforte finisher-the man who sits patiently beside a "set" of hammers, and by picking here and scratching there, finally reduces their covering to the substance, and, consequently, the pianoforte itself to the quality, desired. Everybody knows how much the services of these men are coveted, and how pre-eminently the possession of good finishers influences the success of great pianoforte makers. The pianoforte "finisher," however, has to deal but with one® quality and one material,-the organ "voicer," on the other hand, is required to perfect at least twenty. He has to determine the quality of each stop with regard to its separate effect, and, again, in combination with every other. Within certain limits, pre-defined by the scale and form of the pipe, he can, by various delicate manipulations, mould its tone to his fancy, or knowledge of what is required of it. It is his office thus to treat every individual of the vocal multitude which occupies the sound-boards of a large organ-to give to each its distinctive character, and yet to preserve among all obedience to the dominant unity of effect. At a glance, it will be recognised that to do all this in perfection demands good schooling at the outset, great experience, and fine natural taste. Much of it is to be taught, beyond doubt; but after all the discipline in the world, much yet remains which can scarcely be acquired-knack, quickness of perception, and that species of taste which a man must have as a birth-right, or no at all. When we say that there are not six men in all this great country, competent to voice a large organ as it should be done, we are confident of making no under-estimate of their number. We have thus done something towards explaining the difficulties that stand in the way of producing a really fine large organ; sufficient, perhaps, to show that that commodity is not to be picked up in the random every-day fashion very frequently supposed. It may be assumed, as a fact, that the builder who possesses the best voicers will, on the whole, produce the best instruments. In the long run, too, he will not, on this account, neglect the mechanical and subsidiary departments. If he act Quite as much error is prevalent as to the relative merits of various builders. Popularly, any man who writes "Organ-maker's hands,-some three or four thousand in number, as the builder" over his door, keeps a respectable stock of timber, with some tons weight of metal to match, owns a dozen glue-pots and pays wages on a Saturday night, is competent to the greatest task the chances of patronage may throw in his way. It is all a question of size-nothing more. Brown, or Jones, or Robinson, could build another Haerlem organ quite as well as Hill, or Gray and Davison. In reality, however, this is a total, and often fatal, mistake. The power of making a really fine organ is in extremely few hands,-so few, indeed, that were we to specify the probable number, our statement would scarcely be received by those not intimately conversant with the facts. When, however, we ask the incredulous to consider how few makers in this country can, or at least do, produce a first class grand pianoforte, they will, perhaps, more readily believe our assertion that the organ-an instrument infinitely more various in character, infinitely more complicated in construction, than the pianoforte must be sought, in perfection, from even still fewer sources. But to exemplify, in some measure, the assumed difficulty. The first thing is to decide on the size and kind of contents necessary for an organ destined for a given use and given space; and there is scarcely anything in the whole matter about which so little skill and principle of action are displayed as in this, apparently, simple operation. Usually the difficulty is solved by a species of rule-of-thumb process. The " "organ designer" has a certain quantum of varieties to choose from, and selects according to the funds he has to pay with. Into one scale he puts a defined amount of current coin, and in the other he heaps up diapasons, principals, fifteenths, mixtures, and trumpets, until the gold will no longer balance the tin(shade of Father Smith! forgive us for the untechnicality untruth, too, in these days!-metal, we should have said)—and thus the organ is "designed." So entirely stereotyped has this process now become, that-with, perhaps, but two exceptionsgive us, for two terms of the sum, the builder's name, and the price he is to receive, and we warrant the third term-namely, the contents of the organ-comes out right by way of answer. But suppose unusual success to have attended this initiatory step, and that, either with the assistance, or without the interference, of a "competent professor," a fine organ has been planned; its execution has still to be brought to a successful issue. In its purely mechanical aspect, the making of a small organ is a very trite and accessible operation: a volume of the Encyclopædia Britannica and a good joiner would almost settle the matter without further assistance. A large organ, however, taxes the resources of its builder in a but as a mere tradesman, he will, for his own sake, make provi- Mr. Robson-has been executed with great neatness and efficision, at least, for the soundness of his work; if he have an artist's cency; and we are glad to perceive that in that far more imfeeling in the matter, he will do his best towards attaining per-portant item, tone, he is struggling hard for advancement. The fection. In any case, however, the ear is the ultimate court of qualities of the present instrument are better, both individually appeal for the organ as for all other instruments. Be its and in combination, than in most of his previous specimens. mechanical defects almost what they may, they are but the dis- Mr. Robson is one of those organ-builders from whom we comfort of the one who plays; while the beauty of its voicing hope for something beyond the common run of things. He is still remains the enjoyment of the hundreds who listen. The young, energetic, devoted to his calling, anxious for improvefirst-class voicers, however, like other precious and costly ani- ment, and unsparing in experiment. All these qualities have mals, are, naturally enough, only to be found at establishments only wanted a right direction. While he is never parsimonious of high position and capital; and to one of these-two, or at of trouble and cost in the manufacture of his instruments, the utmost, three, in number-must they even go who require his fault and failure have hitherto been, that his style a fine organ. Bearing in mind our reference to the admitted facts of voicing-with all its undoubted merits in certain indias to the narrow limits within which an unexceptionable grand vidual stops-has not been at all adapted to the larger class pianoforte can be relied on, our readers will not wonder that of instruments. The old twaddle about this or the other organ the power of producing an equally unexceptionable grand organ being celebrated for its "fine diapasons," is one of those obstrucshould be as much, if not more, circumscribed. tive fallacies that are now fast disappearing. Not one, not fifty, swallows make a summer. We must have all the attributes of summer assembled together, before we invest ourselves in "white ducks" and straw-hats, or yield any other acknowledgement of its presence. An organ ought not to be, cannot judiciously be, celebrated for anything short of its total excellence. What imports it that a cremona be lovely, or an oboe entrancing, if the full great organ, for example, have only an effect of teeth-whetting thinness, on the one hand, or inextricable muddle and confusion, on the other? We do not put this instance as referable to the Belfast organ;-we merely state a cause of too general failure, in which, among others, Mr. Robson has often borne his share. In the present instance it is, rather, our pleasant duty to congratulate the builder on his progress towards that condition of tone which is, doubtless, as much his desire as that of any of his critics. In saying all this, we are very far from the wish to discourage the efforts, or depreciate the talents, of the smaller builders, either metropolitan or provincial. All these have, beyond doubt, their respective merits, and much desire to do well in their appropriate class of work. This, however is not the making of a grand organ. For any great enlargement of this faculty at present, three things, at least, are still wanting. First, that organ-builders in general should, after somewhat expanding their own notions on the subject, work with might and main to educate a class of voicers equal to any task; second, that the public should be able a little more critically to distinguish between that which looks big and makes a great noise, and that which is intrinsically excellent; and third, that professors who may be called upon to act in such matters should either not, for any consideration, give the sanction of their approval to that which they know to be imperfect, or, if they know nothing of it, should refrain from meddling with that which they do not understand. NEW ORGAN FOR VICTORIA HALL, BELFAST. THis instrument has recently been completed by Mr. Robson, of St. Martin's-lane. A short description of its contents is subjoined: The instrument is prepared to consist, when complete, of 3 rows of manuals from CC to C and 33 stops; but the Society only feel justified at the present time in finishing two sets of keys and 21 stops. The pedals are from CCC to F, the organ being tuned on a more equal division of temperament than usual. SWELL ORGAN. Tenor C to C (49 notes). Ft. tone. Pipes. Ft. tone. Pipes. :16 61 1. Double Diapason 16 49 2. Open Diapason 49 61 3. Stopped Diapason 49 49 4. Principal 4 49 61 5. Flute (prepared). 61 6. Doublette ranks 2 7. Mixture (prepared). 8. Contra Fagotta (prepared). ranks 4 224 10. Oboe (prepared). 11. Mixture (prepared). 12. Trumpet 13. Krum Horn 4 Composition Pedals to the The Choir Organ is prepared for 7 Stops. 1 Open Diapason, 16 feet. 30 notes. 8 98 49 At the foot of the printed description, we are informed that "the design of the instrument is by Mr. Albert Dawes, organist to the Society." In what part of the "design" there is anything sufficiently peculiar and unconventional-(unless it be in the reproduction of the name "Tenoroon," which was always an unmeaning absurdity, or the total misapplication of the French word "Doublette" to a stop of two ranks)—to warrant a special reference to its author, we are unable to discover. PARIS. (From our own Correspondent.) NEVER did manager attempt a more hopeless task, than he whom luckless fate has placed at the head of the Italian Opera in Paris. English, French, or Italian alike breaks down under a load too heavy for mortal shoulders. Mr. Lumley, Sig. Roncoui, Sig. Tamburini, and Colonel Ragani are the last unfortunates, and Mr. Gye may thank his stars that the terms which he offered were not accepted. 8 It is difficult to assign a sufficient reason; for, be the supply of artistes what it may, though Sontag, Alboni, Cruvelli, Mario, and Bosio assist, the result is the same, and the finale invariable. The Opéra, with its great subvention, and with the Government at its back to defray all losses, is a powerful competitor. The Opéra-Comique and the Theatre-Lyrique, with their excellent appointments, and their artists and repertories so suited to the Parisian taste, are dangerous rivals. And then the French are in truth not a musical people. They love a clever piece intermingled with songs; but an opera, where there are no bons mots, and where song alternates with recitative, is altogether disagreeable to them. In these and many other causes must we seek for the constant failure which awaits the director of the Italian opera in Paris; and I grieve to say that the present management is no exception to the general rule. Artists of first-rate talent have been introduced to the public; much that is new in the modern, much that is good in the ancient school, has been brought upon the stage; but to no purpose; and I fear that the present direction will not be able to keep the theatre open until the Exhibition brings its expected multitudes to Paris. 843 As will be seen in the list of stops, some important places in the sound-boards of this organ are yet, for economical reasons, unoccupied, and it is therefore impossible to speak of its complete effect. Enough, however, has been finished to indicate a marked improvement in the builder's general style of work. The mechanical department of the instrument-as is usual with The last novelty was Gli Arabi nelle Gallie, by Pacini, of which the maestro himself superintended the rehearsals, and for which Barbiere and La Sonnambula. he wrote some additional pieces. The Emperor and Empress were present at the first representation last week. Mad. Bosio, Mad. Borghi-Mamo, and Sig. Baucardé were excellent in their several parts, and all seemed to promise a greater succes than had yet attended the efforts of Colonel Ragani. Mais l'homme propose et Dieu dispose; and Mad. Borghi-Mamo, after the second night, received certain significant warnings of her critical condition, and has been unable to appear again. In fact, her husband anxiously expects the hour when he can respond to all inquiries that "Mother and child are doing well." The opera, which had cost a large sum for decorations, scenery, etc., is thus nipped in the bud, and the management is thrown back on I The first act of Gli Arabi nelle Gallie (The Arabs in the Gauls), opens with an introduction full of spirit. It was written as far back as 1827; but so thoroughly has Pacini been pillaged by more modern composers, that one recognizes every bar, and considers that it is he who has stolen from those who, in fact, had previously "borrowed" from him. The introduction is followed by a new cavatina, written expressly for Mad. Borghi-Mamo, who sings, or rather sung, it in a style, which for purity could hardly be excelled. Then comes a Polonaise, exactly suited to Madame Bosio. It is full of difficulties, dangers, and "impossibilities," which she masters with a facility really surprising. It is more than probable that Madame Bosio will sing this air in London, and you will then judge for yourself how she deals with passages which most others would despair of attempting. The Polonaise is succeeded by a new duet for Mesdames Bosio and Borghi, a graceful morceau, which was admirably interpreted, and produced a marked effect on the opening night. tromba The second act brings us to the Arab camp. Signor Baucardó opens it with the great air of the opera. I told you when I first heard him that he was a talented singer, and he asserted his pretensions to the satisfaction of the entire audience. I have seldom heard a performance more deserving of the applause it obtained. When we remember that Signor Baucardé has been afflicted with "influenza" since his first arrival in Paris, his efforts deserve the more encouragement. A new prayer and chorus succeed the tenor; and the finale, which forms part of the original opera, is dramatic and clever. In the third act the author has made no change, with the exception of a new air introduced for Madame Bosio. The duet, "Di quelle trombe al suono," the parent of the more famous "Suoni la and a host of others, was effectively sung, and encored; and a chorus of Arabs was admired for its freshness and spirit. The fourth act contains only a finale for the tenor, who has received his death wound; a song for the bass; and a quartet which terminates the opera. All justice was done to the composer by the artistes, who exerted themselves in a praiseworthy manner throughout. Madame Bosio surpassed herself, in the brilliancy of her bravura vocalisation, and the exquisite style in which she sang the music. A spark or two of "Promethean fire," a touch of that which is necessary for the actress as well as the vocalist, and what might Madame Bosio not attempt? Madame Borghi sings five times, and always well. Her vocalisation is excellent, her voice sympathetic, and her acting intelligent. When one thinks of the difficulties under which she laboured (I mean no pun) the first night, her performance was most extraordinary. Signor Baucardé added to his reputation, and Signor Graziani, as usual, was zealous and conscientious. The orchestra, under the able direction of Signor Benetti, was all that Signor Pacini could have desired. The public, though anything but enthusiastic, was evidently pleased, and the only man who profiteth not, who sows where others reap, is the luckless manager, Signor Ragani, who, after spending a large sum in decorations, etc., is left with the expenses on his hands for the remainder of the season. A ballet called Idalia, the music by Scaramelli, got up expressly for Mdlle. Flora Fabri (who was at Drury Lane Theatre in 1845-6), has been produced at the Porte St. Martin. The decorations are new and imposing, and a set scene of a garden in the Italian style, with fountains, vases, &c., is really charming. Mdlle. Flora Fabri dances admirably, and, in the Pas de Triomphe of the last act, was enthusiastically applauded. The ballet was preceded by a new drama called Jane Osborn. Jane Osborn has been seduced by a gentleman in Berkshire, and deserted. She is weeping over her fall by the cradle of her daughter, Alice, the fruit of her sin, when overtures are made to her by Lord Nottingham; at the same time that her doctor, George Lambell, demands her in marriage. She yields to the brilliant offer of Nottingham, and becomes a courtesan famed for her vices throughout all Europe. We see her fifteen years afterwards, when she has ruined hundreds, still followed by Nottingham, who incurs a debt of honour which he cannot pay, and Jane supplies him with the thousands required for the purpose. She then meets with her daughter, quits her vicious life, and retires into a sequestered village, still accompanied by the Doctor Lambell, who acts as a protecting genius. The daughter has been coveted by a nephew of Nottingham "Sir Arthur," and Alice knows not her mother's character. She is about to be married to a worthy young man, one Edward Garillan, when "Sir Arthur" arrives, and declares what Jane Osborn's past life has been. The daughter remains true to her mother, who dies of grief and shame in her arms; George Lambell, mortally wounded in a duel by Sir Arthur, gives his name and fortune to Alice, who marries Garillan. The drama is written by a lady, Madame Léonie d'Aulnay. It is well acted by MM. Luguet and Mad. Lucie-Mabire, and is accepted as a true type of English manners in the 19th century! (From another Correspondent.) ANOTHER Communication-I really hope the last-in the matter of the Ronconis, has appeared in Figaro, where the correspondence was first broached. Mad. Ronconi has replied to her husband's advocate, by the following letter:"To MONSIEUR PEIGNÉ. "Paris, 3rd January, 1855. "MONSIEUR,-I do not know whether your business habits entitle you to dispense with politeness, but they ought not to have the same effect on your sincerity. You know very well-and I regret being obliged to make the public acquainted with these private details-you know very well, I repeat, that with regard to the 10,000 francs, which ought to have been handed to me by M. Rougement, a part was applied to the payment of a creditor of the Théatre-Italien, who had attached the amount in the bank. I have, therefore, accused no one, as you ceived the sums you stated, and I defy you to contradict me. basely insinuate in your letter. I said, simply, that I had not re "I consider I am acting with great forbearance by not recalling to your memory at this moment, all the trickeries I have submitted to from you since you have been the solicitor of Sig. Ronconi. Have you forgotten that on the 3rd of November, in the arrangement between M. Cremieux and my solicitor, M. Lacomme, I accepted all the conditions it pleased you to impose on me in the name of my husband; and that on the 27th of December, when I called upon you, for the purpose of receiving the money which ought to have been given me, you declared that I had nothing more to expect from M. Ronconi. Such an assurance, I think, amply justified me in addressing my letter to His Majesty the Emperor of Russia. "Yours, &c., GIOVANNINA RONCONI." The receipts of the Paris theatres for the month of January were as follows:-Imperial Théâtres (with subvention), 397,892 francs 87 cents; Second-class Théâtres, 723,126 f. 13; Concerts Balls, and Café-concerts, 142,853 f. 53; Sundry Exhibitions, 22,563 f. 90; Total Receipts, 1,286,436 francs 43 cents. Mademoiselle Fernand, a favourite actress of the ThéâtreHistorique, the Gaïté, the Ambigu, and the Odéon, died, much regretted, on the 21st of January last, aged 31. The first and second séances of chamber music have taken place at the Salle Pleyel, before a numerous audience. The executants were MM. Alard, Franchomme, Adolphe Blanc, Casimir Ney, and Deledique. M. Francis Planté was the pianist. These performances were instituted by MM. Alard and Franchomme, eight years ago. A new comedy in five acts has been produced at the Odéon, entitled La Femme d'un Grand Homme. At the Grand Opéra, they are still performing with the greatest success, Auber's Muette de Portici; Lucia has also been done, and with little or none. At the Théâtre-Français, the representations of La Czarine have been interrupted by the indisposition of Mdlle. Rachel, and the management has been obliged to fall back upon the comedy of Les Ennemis de la Maison and other pieces. The Etoile du Nord has been continuing its -career of almost unexampled success at the Opéra-Comique, relieved, on alternate nights, by the Pré Aux Cleres, the Chien du Jardinier, etc. The Muletier de Tolède, with the fascinating Marie Cabel, is still in vogue at the Théâtre-Lyrique; and Robin des Bois, up to this time, has drawn full houses. At the Vaudeville, the revival of Favart's Chercheuse d'Esprit has proved attractive. Le Diable is played every night at the Variétés, together with Les Amours d'un Serpent, and the little comedy of Au Coin du Feu. At the Gymnase, we have to confirm the success of M. Emile Augier's comedy, La Ceinture dorée. At the Gaité, the drama of Le Masque de Poix still attracts; and, at the Cirque, they are giving the last representations of the Conquêtes d'Afrique, which is to be replaced shortly by the Drapeau de Wagram, an historical drama by MM. Albert and de Lustières. At the Folies Dramatiques, M. Blondelet lately took his benefit, on which occasion the burFesque melodrama of La Forêt Périlleuse was produced, with such success that the management has announced it for repetition every evening. 4th February.-I was present, the other day, at one of the concerts of the Society of Sainte Cécile. It was the first time during my stay in Paris that I had heard the assembly of artists bearing that name. They claim to rank in celebrity next after the Conservatoire; but, I must say, that the gulf between them is immeasurable. The following was the programme: Overture, "La Mer Calme" Fantasia-violoncello Symphony in E flat ... Mendelssohn. Boieldieu. Pilet. Romance and Chorus (Rosalind) The orchestra is immense, and composed mostly of good artists. The conductor, M. Burbereau, has a fault that I cannot pass over. He indicates the diminuendos and decrescendos by hisses, which, if indispensable, at least prove a bad method of drilling. Mendelssohn's overture to La Mer Calme (Meerestille) was dashed off by the orchestra, listened to by the audience, and hissed by the conductor. How seasick Mendelssohn would have been had he heard it played by these Saint Cecilians! Their sea was rough, whilst the orchestra was calm-tremendously calm. The two Brunettes, by an unknown composer, which followed the overture, though rather ancient, as their date fully denotes, and rather dry, were well executed. A brunette, then, is a glee for four voices. Good. A "gem" followed-viz., the delicious air of the Seneschal, from Jean de Paris, well sung by M. Stockhausen, a German, with a good voice and a good method. I believe it was M. Stockhausen's first appearance before a Parisian public. He has a good name in Germany as a concert singer, and it is to be regretted that he is not on the stage. He is well known, however, to you amateurs, in England. Herr Stockhausen sings, as the Germans say, "from his soul." Mozart's beautiful symphony went off pretty well, to say the most of it. The minuet and trio were encored. Schubert's romance from Rosalind was sung by a young lady with a pleasing voice, and the choral parts were given with great purity by the vocal members of the Society. It is useless to speak of the violoncellist and his composition. You recollect M. Pilet in London. He and M. Deloffre were the Siamese Twins at such rosin. La Juive will be revived very shortly at the Opéra. M. Halévy is working hard at the rehearsals of his new opera with Mdlie. Sophie Cruvelli, from whom great things are anticipated in the part of Rachel. Les Vepres Siciliennes is postponed till March. Probably not until Sebastopol is stormed will Sig. Verdi storm anew the ears of the Parisian public. THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.-Colonel Taylor, M.P., (county of Dublin) and the Honble. Robert Bourke (son of the Earl of Mayo and brother of Lord Naas) have been unanimously elected members of the executive committee of the Conservative Land Society. J. Lewis Ffytche, Esq., of Thorpe Hall, Lincolnshire, has been added to the list of patrons. COLOGNE. (From a Correspondent.) I REGRET having to record to the readers of the Musical World a schism in the Kölner Männer-Gesang-Verein, which, it seems, cannot end otherwise than in its dissolution. The cause of dispute is as follows:-A short time since, certain members of the Society, thirty-two in number, without having demanded the sanction of the others, gave a concert at Solingen. By a mistake of the Solingen printer of programmes, the performance was announced as a concert of the Kölner Männer-Gesang«K. M. G. V." The direction supposing that the thirty-two had Verein, whereas it should have been by MEMBERS OF THE been giving a concert on their own account wittingly in the Cologne Gazette, signed by the direction; in answer to which name of the Society, called them to order in an article in the came an explanation from the thirty-two; another letter from "members who were not in Solingen," denouncing the hasty conduct of the direction; and finally a general censured for their conduct, whereupon they immediately meeting of the Society, in which the thirty-two were given to the dispute, that it seems impossible for them to withdrew from the Society. So much publicity has been re-unite under Herr Weber. By their secession, the Society has lost eight out of ten of its first tenors, besides many of its most active members. What the seceders will do is still veiled in uncertainty. I have heard it mentioned that they are likely to join the Liedertafel, in which case they will probably elect Herr Carl Rheinthaler conductor. The first part of an oratorio, Jephtha und seine Tochter, by C. Rheinthaler, was performed at the last Casino concert, under the direction of the composer. It gave satisfaction, and is pronounced by the local critics to be the work of an able composer. At a former concert I heard Berlioz' Flucht nach Egypten, the second part of his "so-called" sacred trilogy. Richard Wagner's Lohengrin was played to-night, for the seventh time, so I think may be called successful, but its success, I fancy, depends more upon the novelty and the prettiness of the scenery, than on any intrinsic worth in the music. One certainly finds some very pretty music in it, but scarcely enough to make up for a great many barbarities. Herr Ferd. Hiller has gone for a month's musical tour to Weimar, Dresden, and Leipsic, so we shall have no grand concert till after the Carnival. The Nieder-Rhenisches MusikFest is to be held at Düsseldorf this year, during Whitsuntide : Hiller is to conduct. FOREIGN. VIENNA. (From our own Correspondent.)-The only fact worthy of notice at the Imperial Opera House, has been the appearance of Mad. Doria-Lasslow as Lucrezia Borgia, in the opera of that name. Her performance was not great, but it appeared to satisfy the audience. The third and last character in which Mad. Doria-Lasslow will appear, is Elvira in I Puritani. Mdlle. Wilhelmina Clauss has already become a great favourite. Her second concert took place, on the 28th ult, in the rooms of the Musikverein, before a very numerous and fashionable audience. The programme was especially interesting. The first piece selected by Malle. Clauss was one of the noblest and most beautiful compositions of modern art, namely, Mendelssohn's Trio in C minor, for pianoforte, violin, and violoncello. The Scherzo was encored. The fair bénéficiaire then played some variations from Händel's Suites des Pièces, and the prelude and fugue in Csharp major, from J. S. Bach's Clavier bien Tempéré. One of the musical journals here very justly remarks that the tone produced from the instrument, by the gifted young artist, was so full and powerful that the audience, at times, were almost inclined to believe the piano was changed into an organ. The so-called Musique de Salon was effectively represented by a Nocturne of Chopin's, and a Rhapsodie (No. 4-Wintermärchen), by Herr Dreyschock. Mdlle. Clauss was rapturously applauded throughout. The vocalist was Herr Carl Olschbauer, who sang some lieder by Schubert and another. Herr Willmers, the pianist, à coups de poing, who has a pretty English wife, is giving a series of four musical soirées. The first came off on the 22nd ult., in Seuffert's Rooms. It opened with a new trio, by Herr Zellner, for pianoforte, violin, and violoncello, which was well received. The other pieces were a Wintermärchen, and a Danse des Naiades, from Herr Willmers' Impressions du Rhin. Herr Ander, the tenor, sang two songs. The room was well attended. BERLIN. (From our own Correspondent.)—At the Royal Opera House; Gluck's Iphigenia in Aulis has been performed with great success, Mdlle. Johanna Wagner sustaining the part of Clytemnestra, and Madame Köster that of Iphigenia. The eighth representation of Herr Dorn's Niebelungen took place on Friday. The composer was called on the stage at the conclusion of the opera. We have had no lack of concerts during the week. Herr Rubinstein gave one, at which he played several of his own compositions, and was assisted by Mdlle. Westerstrand as vocalist. Herr Julius Schulhoff gave another, and favoured the public with some of his latest productions. Then, too, we had, on Saturday last, the first of a series of concerts, got up by Herren Ries and Steifansand, for the benefit of various charities, in which good work they are assisted by a female chorus composed of some of the members of Teschner's Gesangverein. The concert-givers, together with Herren Richter and Espenhahn, performed a quartet by Prince Louis Ferdinand. The next in my list is the quartet concert of Herr Zimmermann and Co.; the programme included a quartet in E flat major, by Haydn, one in A minor by Schubert, and that in E flat major, commonly known as the Harp quartet, by Beethoven. To this I must add the third soirée for chamber music, given by the Herren Von. den Osten, Grünwald, and Radecke, in the rooms of the Englisches Haus; the last trio-soirée of the Brothers Stahlknecht and Herr Löschhorn; and a concert of sacred music in the rooms of the Evangelischer Verein. The principal feature in the trio-soirée, was a new trio by Herr Schliebner, musical director in Stralsund. It is not without merit, but was found fearfully long, in spite of the "cuts" the performers had judiciously made. Reissiger's oratorio of David will be performed on the 8th inst., in the Sing-Academie, and Bernhard Klein's Dido, on the 10th inst., for the benefit of the Gustav-Adolph-Verein. Messrs. Roger and Vivier gave their second concert, last Friday, in the rooms of the Singacademie, which were again filled to overflowing. This has not occurred for many a day, since the more the newspapers have been crowded with concert advertisements the emptier have been the rooms. M. Vivier played an Adagio Religioso in E major, a romance called La Plainte, and a Hunting Scene, all of his own composition. The last was encored unanimously. It was a metal tube with which M. Vivier's imperial countryman, Napoleon I. (for M. Vivier was born at Ajaccio, in Corsica) gave his concerts to the world, blowing old kingdoms to the ground and raising new ones, to a pretty tune. M. Vivier, the Napoleon of crooked brass pipes, also comes forward as a law-giver; his energetic Corsican nature has decreed that the horn shall be a concert instrument, for, not content with one tone, he bullies and coaxes from it three at a time. He sounds the fundamental note in such a manner that the fifth and tenth (for instance, E-B-G sharp) are softly but distinctly heard, following on its heels like satellites. The effect is wonderful and beautiful. By her performance of one of Bach's preludes from the Clavier bien Tempéré some Variations of Händel, and the "improvisation on Mendelssohn's "Auf Flügeln des Gesanges," by Stephen Heller, Miss Arabella Goddard introduced herself to the public here, and fully justified the extraordinary reputation which had preceded her. Her mechanical execution is faultless, and in the quickest tempo the most trivial details do not at all suffer in clearness and finish. But we estimate more highly, even than this universal dexterity, the truly feminine grace and liveliness of expression which she always gives in "warbling" the melody, as well as in the passages which wantonly play round and about it. The charming artiste was able to paint a smile, even on the stern features of the old masters-Händel and Sebastian Bach. COBLENTZ.-Herr Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser has been brought out, and well received. DANZIG.-The operatic company are entirely engaged in the rehearsals of Der Alte vom Berge, by Mr. Benedict. BREMEN.-The third Subscription Concert, under the direction of Herr Carl Reinecke, went off with great éclat. The programme was excellent, including Beethoven's overture to Leonore, Mozart's Symphony in C major, and Weber's overture to Euryanthe. The Liedertafel sang the "Prisoners' Chorus" from Fidelio, and the "Huntsmen's Chorus" from Euryanthe; and the members of the Gesangverein, Hiller's Gesang der Geister über den Wassern. WEIMAR.-Dr. Franz Liszt is engaged in getting up a series of subscription concerts and quartet soirées. DRESDEN.-The whole energy of the management of the Royal Opera is at present employed in the production of L'Etoile du Nord, under the immediate superintendance of the composer. FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAINE.-It is said that the municipal authorities will vote the sum of 68,000 florins (£6,800) for the renovation of the theatre which is in a very disgraceful condition. LUBECK.-Die Verklärung des Herrn (The Transfiguration of our Saviour). a new oratorio by Herr F. Kühmstedt, professor and musical director of Eisenach, has been produced and favourably received, under the direction of Capellmeister Herr G. Herrmann. Meyerbeer's Huguenots was lately presented, for the first time in this city. AMSTERDAM.-The rehearsals of Meyerbeer's Etoile du Nord have begun, and the opera will be produced about the end of the month. celebrated with great pomp in Italy; Mercadante, the Neapolitan NAPLES.-The fête of the Immaculate Conception has been composer, wrote a hymn especially for the occasion, which was sung in the open air, at Naples, in the Champ de Mars, in presence of the king and all the royal family, the ministers of state, gether 1563 executants (of whom 883 were instrumentalists, and the army, and an immense crowd of people. There were alto880 vocalists) furnished, alone, by the officers and privates of the army. TWO OPINIONS. OPINION OF M. LEON GATAYES. "THE shade of Weber would have trembled with joy to hear the melancholy, tender, pure, and radiant singing of Anna-Madame Deligne-Lauters. Was she, then, born for the part?—or is she the beau-ideal of that poetical type which lives and dreams under the sombre sky of Germany? Was the exceptional organization of this fair child of the North indispensable to its realization? What a sympathetic and penetrating quality of voice! What alternate magnificence and mellow fullness of tones! What a pure and caressing organ! Mad. Lauters does not attract the ear alone; she appeals softly to the heart; troubles it, or makes it beat. I took notice of the date (and shall remember it) when I predicted for Madame Deligne-Lauters an elevated position, a glorious place in the foremost rank of the greatest singers." OPINION OF M. HECTOR BERLIOZ. different feelings; she adds; she curtails; she reverses; she takes "Or the grand scena she has not the least idea. She mingles two breath when she should sustain the note; she cuts the phrases in two, etc., etc. As to the prayer, she burks it, tramples it as it were under her feet with the innocent ferocity of a child. She does not even know how to sing the theme, but introduces a mass of miserable roulades, low notes like those of a man, and extremely disagreeable. To interpret as she did such a prodigy of musical genius, is an abomination, and a stupid profanation. Madame Lauters has a superb voice, but I fear she will never succeed in making use of it except in works of a trivial character." ["Who shall decide when Doctors disagree?"-ED.] THE SOUTH SEA HOUSE.-This well-known edifice in Threadneedle street with its Doric portico, its quadrangle with Tuscan colonnade and fountain, and extensive vaulted cellars is to be brought to the hammer, the Conservative Land Society having been already in the field to negociate for the purchase by private contract; in which mode, it appears, the directors are not empowered to sell. The South Sea Company was originated by Harley, Earl of Oxford, in 1711, for the discharge of nearly ten millions of public debt, and in 1853-4 the South Sea Stock was converted or paid off. The building occupies more than half an acre of ground, and its value for building purposes is, of course, enormous. |